The New York Knicks will face steeper odds to repeat as NBA champions after losing an important member of the roster to a rival team.
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Sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Wednesday that Mitchell Robinson will depart the team after winning the title. He will head over to the Boston Celtics on a three-year, $47.4 million deal that includes a player option in his third year.
Robinson, a second-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, will close out his tenure with the Knicks after eight seasons. He averaged 7.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 23.4 minutes played during his time in New York.
The longtime Knick dealt with injuries throughout the title run. He broke his pinkie between the Eastern Conference Finals win over the Cavaliers and the NBA Finals win over the Spurs. He closed out the playoffs averaging 4.8 points and 5.5 rebounds.
The Celtics made this move after a winning season that ended in frustration. The Boston-based team won 56 games during the regular season but failed to advance beyond the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
This early exit marked a major change for a team that has made the Eastern Conference Finals six times in the last 10 seasons while winning the NBA title once (2023-24).
The early hours of the free agency negotiating period have featured numerous deals, but the Knicks have remained relatively quiet throughout. The championship-winning organization has not made any moves thus far.
Meanwhile, the Pistons, Rockets, Clippers, Pacers, Suns, Nets, Bulls, and Lakers among other teams have made some big moves while trying to become championship contenders. The Lakers, in particular, have made a flurry of deals after the departure of LeBron James.
The Lakers signed free agent Collin Sexton to a two-year, $19 million deal and free agent Quentin Grimes to a four-year, $60 million deal. The Lakers also signed free agent Sandro Mamukelashvili to a four-year, $52 million deal.
The biggest move for the Los Angeles team, however, is a trade with the Jazz for Walker Kessler involving two first-round picks and two swaps. Kessler also landed a four-year, $130 million deal.
